Church attendance reduces economic growth
• Hodgepodge
I'm sure I cited this research sometime back but am happy to quote part of the Financial Times recent summary.
Their conclusion that religiosity declines with economic development does not surprise. More interesting is the finding that, for given religious beliefs, increases in church attendance tend to reduce economic growth, while for given church attendance, increases in some religious beliefs - notably heaven, hell and an afterlife - tend to increase economic growth. The economists also find some indication that fear of hell is more potent for growth than the prospect of heaven.
Earlier: The economic value of Hell